Tekla booSts project profits with accurate time tracking
Benefits
Tekla Corporation produces information-modeling software for construction, energy and infrastructure industries. The company’s name is an abbreviation of “Teknillinen laskenta,” which is Finnish for “Technical computation.”
Headquartered in Espoo, Finland, Tekla was established in 1966 and has customers in 100 countries, offices in over 20 countries, and a global partner network. The company’s units in Building and Construction, plus Energy and Public Administration, cater to the needs of their respective industries by providing advanced digital information models that give them a competitive advantage.
Challenge
Obsolete software hampered project management
The IT team at Tekla was facing a problem. Niku Open Workbench, the team’s legacy project management software, was no longer being evolved or supported. According to Saku Päivärinta, IT Specialist at Tekla, the interface was also difficult to use, and only a handful of managers at Tekla could access reports from Open Workbench.
The IT department at Tekla was looking to move to a new project management system that would provide the functionality and reporting capabilities they needed. Line and Project managers wanted to track Tekla’s on-call maintenance staff in Finland, record their working hours and forecast future staffing requirements. After charting their specific requirements, the search for a solution began in earnest.
“[T]he team’s legacy project management software, was no longer being evolved or supported. ”
Solution
Replicon provided much needed functionality
Tiina Painio, Manager of Information Management Business Systems at Tekla, researched various project management solutions from Clarizen, Tenrox, and another Finnish company, before deciding to implement Replicon TimeCost.
“Replicon was most suitable for our project staff tracking, because it allowed for employees to be categorized into groups,” said Painio. “TimeCost has a better user interface than our legacy system; a web application with browser-based access was exactly what we needed.”
Custom interface makes data export easy
Tekla’s product development teams began using TimeCost after a quick rollout. Replicon developed a custom interface that allowed for easy data export to the firm’s SAP ERP solution, which not only improved data accuracy, but provided access to the latest reports—a capability not possible with the legacy system.
“Importing projects from Microsoft Project and Excel was a breeze, so the rollout was quick, and users learned how to use the new system in short order,” said Päivärinta. “We now have very reliable access to reports, no downtime, and backwards visibility into resources used.” Päivärinta added that business unit managers can acquire reports directly from Replicon, instead of having to wait for the information to come to them. “The configuration process was easy, and we get alerts if timesheets are changed after approval,” he said.
Track overtime and flex hours, anywhere
TimeCost is expected to help Tekla meet regulatory requirements, such as tracking flex hours. With Replicon, employees and managers can easily track hours, no matter when they work, including overtime. “The time-tracking abilities of Replicon simplify and enhance our regulatory compliance, while giving our employees access to current timesheet information and detailed project data,” said Päivärinta.
Painio also liked how easy it was to set up approval workflows and reporting in TimeCost. The payroll department can easily calculate salaries and track time off and holiday hours as required by Finnish legislation.
“The friendly interface has resulted in widespread adoption of the new system, and a major reduction in effort put towards time tracking and reporting,” said Painio. “Replicon has helped us increase data accuracy and improve business unit profitability and resource allocation, while giving our managers far better insight into project profitability and timelines.”
“The time-tracking abilities of Replicon simplify and enhance our regulatory compliance, while giving our employees access to current timesheet information and detailed project data. ”
The Results
- Integrated time tracking with SAP for streamlined data export
- Gained visibility into project spend and budget
- Provided project and line managers with instant access to data
"Replicon has helped us increase data accuracy and improve business unit profitability and resource allocation, while giving our managers far better insight into project profitability and timelines.”
Tiina Painio
Manager of Information Management Business Systems
